1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a delivery service management system for integrally managing all delivery services ranging from trading of raw materials to sale of goods and, more particularly, to a delivery service management system which can attach large-capacity information holding media such as two-dimensional bar codes (or two-dimensional data codes) to the goods, acquire information from such a medium in each delivery service, and feed back delivery service data to relating business fellows.
2. Description of the Related Art
A one-dimensional bar code (a code constituted by a large number of aligned bars having different widths, e.g., a code disclosed in Jpn. UM Applin. KOKAI Publication No. 54-87751) has been popular as a means for quickly and easily inputting each goods data to an information processing system. An information volume in a limited area is not so large because the one-dimensional bar code can represent information in only one direction to align the plurality of bars.
A two-dimensional bar code (a code having a two-dimensional code pattern corresponding to storage information in a predetermined surface, e.g., a code disclosed in Jpn. UM Applin. KOKAI Publication No. 2-268383) is proposed as a means for greatly increasing the information volume of the one-dimensional bar code. A way of satisfactorily utilizing the large information volume of the two-dimensional bar code, however, depends on a future development.
In a conventional sales management system (POS system) utilizing one-dimensional bar codes, only delivery service information representing the quantity of specific goods sold is acquired, because the information volume of the one-dimensional bar code is small. For example, a supermarket which mainly involves with retail operations can obtain sufficiently beneficial data by the conventional POS system utilizing one-dimensional bar codes. It is, however, difficult to cope with information acquisition of all the delivery services including the trading of raw materials for goods in any conventional POS system. In particular, a delivery service management system capable of feeding back desired delivery service data to individual relating business fellows from a set of pieces of information involving in delivery services of various kinds of goods in large quantities by a large number of business fellows cannot be anticipated from the extension of conventional POS systems.
For example, assume the following simple conditions for delivery services in the apparel business world. Three thread manufacturers (material system) (i), (ii), and (iii) individually manufacture and sell three different threads A, B, and C, respectively. Fabric company (material system) (iv) manufactures and sells fabric D using threads A and B. Fabric company (material system) (v) manufactures and sells fabric E using threads B and C. Fabric company (material system) (vi) manufactures and sells fabric F using threads A and C. Apparel maker (processing system) (vii) sews and sells dress G using fabrics E and F. Apparel maker (processing system) (viii) sews and sells dress H using fabrics D and F. Apparel maker (processing system) (ix) sews and sells dress I using fabrics D and E. Retail shop (selling system) (x) sells dresses G and H, and retail shop (selling system (xi) sells dresses H and I.
Under the above conditions, when retail shops (x) and (xi) engage in selling and management using a conventional POS system, they can know the sales amounts of specific dresses manufactured by specific apparel makers in accordance with POS data read from the bar codes of the goods (dresses G, H, and I). However, this POS data (i.e., selling data of a given dress as a final product item) cannot represent the sales amounts of threads of specific thread manufacturers or the sales amount of specific fabrics of specific fabric companies due to the lack of information.